acne

SO a while ago I did hdrol, and dermacrine, during which I had my face clear up incredibly.
I have cystic acne

During the last two weeks of pct I started to break out its been 3.5 months since and it just keeps getting worse. I have been take 200mg Docycycline 2times a day. Just started tea tree oil soap and a olive oil/cocunut moisturizer soap. I have washed my face up to 15 times a day and as little as twice, and nether seem to make a difference.

It really went crazy on x factor advanced

When I take DAA I get more acne however only slightly, I dont feel any rise in test, no extra libido, agression nothing like others describe with DAA. The only non supplement I take is ghrp6, could that be related?

all products with salylic acid (proactiv) make it worse. any suggestions?

Doc wont prescribe me accutane, however I know where to acquire some. I had bad reactions to it when I was 14 or 15. My liver enzmyes increased great enough that they wanted me to stop taking it, however it worked great at clearing me up despite all its side effects. If I decide to buy some and get liver vaulues from blood work what range of liver values are okay to get to before jaundice, Im willing to push it.

SO a while ago I did hdrol, and dermacrine, during which I had my face clear up incredibly.
I have cystic acne

During the last two weeks of pct I started to break out its been 3.5 months since and it just keeps getting worse. I have been take 200mg Docycycline 2times a day. Just started tea tree oil soap and a olive oil/cocunut moisturizer soap. I have washed my face up to 15 times a day and as little as twice, and nether seem to make a difference.

It really went crazy on x factor advanced

When I take DAA I get more acne however only slightly, I dont feel any rise in test, no extra libido, agression nothing like others describe with DAA. The only non supplement I take is ghrp6, could that be related?

all products with salylic acid (proactiv) make it worse. any suggestions?

Hi, if this has already been mentioned or discussed, please excuse me for not reading the entire thread. I just wanted to share something that has been extremely useful and helpful for me personally, with HUGE obvious advantages in my skin tone and acne severity.

I take 8 grams of B5 (I buy it in bulk and simply cap it, or use a teaspoon and shotgun it into my mouth) divided into 2 equal doses upon waking and before bed. This, after 1-2 months, created a dynamic shift in my acne, not only on my face but also BIG TIME on my arms, back, and shoulders. I had a very bad case of non-facial acne from anabolic usage, and it has all cleared up at least 90%! My face is far less oily, and I only experience intermittent breakouts in SMALL clusters maybe once a month now, it's amazing.

Doc wont prescribe me accutane, however I know where to acquire some. I had bad reactions to it when I was 14 or 15. My liver enzmyes increased great enough that they wanted me to stop taking it, however it worked great at clearing me up despite all its side effects. If I decide to buy some and get liver vaulues from blood work what range of liver values are okay to get to before jaundice, Im willing to push it.

Originally Posted by hulkroids2

Accutane

Originally Posted by CaponeCEO

Accutane and liver support supplements to hopefully keep your liver enzymes down while on treatment.

Not trying to be rude, but don't forget to read what the OP stated (emphasis added above). He already said he tried accutane and had bad results from it so I don't think it's a good decision to jump back on that. I do think accutane is very effective, however there are also a lot of sides associated with it that the user needs to be aware of.

Not trying to be rude, but don't forget to read what the OP stated (emphasis added above). He already said he tried accutane and had bad results from it so I don't think it's a good decision to jump back on that. I do think accutane is very effective, however there are also a lot of sides associated with it that the user needs to be aware of.

The sides that he got were indicative of raised liver enzymes according to his post. To counter the increased enyzmes he can try liver support supplementation. Accutane is very regulated by physicians. They will draw your blood work monthly while on it, so I would say that it is safe to try and work on the liver part of the equation in order to prep and care for it while it takes a beating from the Accutane. The other side effects of Accutane are increased risk of suicide or mental imbalances. If you haven't displayed any of those issues in the past then you would be a candidate for Accutane. So which sides are you referring to that he needs to be aware of?

Accutane is the only thing that will work for cystic acne. I would talk to your physician and go over a game plan to get your liver as healthy as possible to get ready to try the treatment again. Your skin will develop scarring and indentation while you try to "use alternative" treatments that really don't work for your type of acne.

Special warnings about this medication:
When you first start taking Accutane, it is possible that your acne will get worse before it starts to get better.

If you are a woman of childbearing age and you are considering taking Accutane, you will be given both spoken and written warnings about the importance of avoiding pregnancy during the treatment. You will be asked to sign a consent form noting that:

- Accutane is a powerful, "last resort'' medication for severe acne;
- You must not take Accutane if you are pregnant or may become pregnant during treatment;
- If you get pregnant while taking Accutane, your baby will be at high risk for birth defects;
- If you take Accutane, you must use effective birth control from 1 month before the start of treatment through 1 month after the end of treatment;
- You must test negative for pregnancy within 2 weeks before starting Accutane, and you must start Accutane on the second or third day of your menstrual period;
- You may participate in a program that includes an initial free pregnancy test and birth control counseling session;
- If you become pregnant, you must immediately stop taking Accutane and see your doctor;
- You have read and understood the Accutane patient brochure and asked your doctor any questions you had;
- You are not currently pregnant and do not plan to become pregnant for at least 30 days after you finish taking Accutane; |
- You have been invited to participate in a survey of women being treated with Accutane.

Some people taking Accutane, including some who simultaneously took tetracycline, have experienced headache, nausea, and visual disturbances caused by increased pressure within the skull. See a doctor immediately if you have these symptoms; if the doctor finds swelling of the optic nerve at the back of your eye, you must stop taking Accutane at once and see a neurologist for further care.

Be careful driving at night. Some people have experienced a sudden decrease in night vision.

Some people taking Accutane have had problems regulating their blood sugar level.

You may not be able to tolerate your contact lenses during and after your therapy with Accutane.

You should stop taking Accutane immediately if you have abdominal pain, bleeding from the rectum, or severe diarrhea. You may have an inflammatory disease of the bowel.

You should not donate blood during your therapy with Accutane and for a month after you stop taking it."

hey guys, reporting back. A long time ago herbal soaps I used in the same fashion as otc products as in cleanser and moisturizer worked well, cleared up on cycle acne. I stupidly did not make note of the brand. So I used them since I was waiting for a doc appointment, got tea tree oil soap, african black soap and a moisture bar with vit e olive oil, and cocunut oil, soy lechitin. The combo has been amazing, using the topical prescription gels aczone and epiduo. My acne is mostly gone, now I just need to get rid of marks, been using a exfoliator and continuing docycycline in hopes it helps fix it now that my break out is very mild. Definately getting b5 though in bulk to try and see if it stops acne from coming out period.

I struggled with cystic acne as well. Unfortunatley no otc products completely got rid of it. I tried all of the anitbiotics and creams the dermatologist could throw at me and although some helped it always came back. I was put on accutane and it has been amazing although there are alot of sides. My liver values were raised enough to make the derm cut my dose in half one month. This was after the first month of treatment and i feel like it was partially because i was placed on a max dose right from the start instead of being placed on it gradually. Not to mention i just came off of 3 months of antibiotics. Anyhow, my liver did get used to it. I always drank 1 gallon plus of water daily. The acne has been gone for some time now. It was defintaley worth it. In regards to the old marks from the acne, the retinoids in the epiduo should help with that but it will take some months to do so. Good luck and feel free to pm me with any questions.

PS: Along with my above post praising B5 in bulk, I am also ordering ****'s facial cleanser very soon. I have yet to try it, so can't comment on it. Oh, also Wal-Mart carries an amazing product that is an exact knock-off of the name brand facial scrub with sacylic acid (forget spelling) and micro beads.

PS: Along with my above post praising B5 in bulk, I am also ordering ****'s facial cleanser very soon. I have yet to try it, so can't comment on it. Oh, also Wal-Mart carries an amazing product that is an exact knock-off of the name brand facial scrub with sacylic acid (forget spelling) and micro beads.

I think ****'s product looks really good. I might have to give it a try.

Something I have noticed is that if I over-wash my face it can do more harm than good at times, so I believe ****'s acne face wash will be an excellent addition to balance out the aggressive products I've been using to keep my mug looking fresh and clean!

You want to know why I like me some **** so much? Because they see a hole in the market, and they FILL it in dynamic fashion. Think about it, two of the most pressing hygiene and cosmetic issues we face as men, acne and hairloss, they have attacked head on and made two fantastic products available to us!

B5 works, it reduces the amount of oil you pores secrete, and shrinks your oil glands very similar to accutane. You just have to take it consistently. Works for me at 8-10g a day. You still have to remember to wash your face....b5 will not kill the bacteria in your skin, only reduces the oil., I still break out a little if I do not do that.. I get my bulk b5 from smart powders..

I don't know what "cystic acne" is, so I don't know if this will help but....

Tanning bed
Really hot hot showers

Both of those keep my face so dry I rarely get a breakout.

Good luck.

Tanning is an awesome intervention technique, and makes you look sexified at the same time. Haha, sure you could make the yada yada yada argument about skin health or cancer, but I just have never seen a case study where 10 minutes 5 times a week under some bulbs kills a human being. Anyway, as far as hot showers, that does dry the skin out, but it's harmful to hair health, and also dries out the skin systemically.

Originally Posted by flash89912

B5 works, it reduces the amount of oil you pores secrete, and shrinks your oil glands very similar to accutane. You just have to take it consistently. Works for me at 8-10g a day. You still have to remember to wash your face....b5 will not kill the bacteria in your skin, only reduces the oil., I still break out a little if I do not do that.. I get my bulk b5 from smart powders..

B5 has been the most useful otc tool in combating acne I've ever used. I buy a kilo at a time. Also, Accutane is very effective, which I get through my source, but of course can disclose anything more about that.

If you want to try accutane, get yourself some Liver Longer or Ursodiol to keep the liver safe. Also, if you pick up Liv52 (the hard coated caps directly from India and not the local gel cap stuff) this was proven to lower liver enzymes.

SO a while ago I did hdrol, and dermacrine, during which I had my face clear up incredibly.

This is really interesting to me, since hdrol is slightly androgenic and dermacrine is definitely androgenic. The only thing I can think of, is overall your DHT was lowered on cycle, and the repetitive usage of the prohormones, taken daily, caused a steady balance of hormones in your system... and that's a good reason why your acne may have been held at bay.

Epistane had cleared me up completely in the past before. Weird how that is. I am/was on TRT as well, but once starting it, got cleared up fairly quickly.

I just know it is advocated on hair literature for men, even right on the Minoxidil information to stop the progression of male pattern baldness when using a hair regrowth treatment. Ever since I read that, I won't let hot shower water touch my hair, haha

Ok you might not be interested, might think I’m full of crap, but when I was a teenager I took zinc & beta carotene for Fighting Acne. (Cystic Acne)
When I started using M-DROL (superdrol) the first cycle I started breaking out. So I picked up some zinc & beta carotene and it cleared it up.
So about two weeks prior to my current M-DROL (superdrol) cycle I started taking zinc & beta carotene again to get it in my system prior to the cycle.
It works for me, that is all I care about. A''ll I can say is give it a try, what do you have to loose, possibly the Acne!!

You will need to experiment as to what dosage you will need if it will work for you as it does me.

An excerpt from the above link on zinc & beta carotene for Fighting Acne.

Zinc:

Zinc helps regulate your skin's oil glands. It promotes fast healing and is said to boost your immune system. Zinc is needed for the absorption of Vitamin A. Zinc will also keep your EFA from becoming oxidized within the body. If you're looking for better looking skin that heals faster, than you need to supplement with Zinc.

When taking Zinc, be sure to take only Zinc Monothionine (OptiZinc) or Zinc Picolinate. These two forms are your best chance for proper absorption within the body. Zinc can become toxic so be sure to keep your dosage under 100mg per day. The only time you could (safely) take more than 100mg per day is if you had an extremely active lifestyle with lots of exercise and sweating (sports, training, etc.)

Take only the forms of Zinc listed above. Take between 50 and 90mg per day. Remember, no more than 100mg per day unless you have a very active lifestyle. Take it with food for best results.

Vitamin A:

The most important free radical scavenger you can take. It is also very important for healthy skin. Many of today's so-called "wonder drugs" are derived from Vita- min A. It helps with new cell growth and repair. It is also an excellent antioxidant.

Vitamin A helps the kidneys fight infection and protects against cancer formation. It is so important that your body cannot utilize the protein it takes in with having Vitamin A present in your system.

You will never get enough Vitamin A from diet alone, so you must start supplementing it right away. Vitamin A can become very toxic to your body at high dosages, so approach with caution and be sure you're keeping an eye on the amount of I.U. you take in daily.

A safe Vitamin A dosage would be around 25,000 (or lower) I.U. per day. It's been documented that the best way to supplement Vitamin A is by taking carotenes, such as the popular beta-carotene. I take a mixture of straight Vitamin A (from fish oils and green vegetables) and a beta-carotene supplement. The beta-carotene is converted into Vitamin A within the body.

Beta-carotene is non toxic but it will turn your skin orange if you take in too much on a continual basis (sometimes you'll even turn yellowish). Again, be sure to stick with a natural supplement. The synthetic supplements are like putting rocks into your body. They will not be absorbed or used, only treated as toxins.

Start with 50,000 I.U. per day of beta-carotene. You can work your way up to 125,000 I.U. per day for better results, but take it slow. Again, it is non-toxic, but if you don't need that much then don't waste it. Along with the beta-carotene you should take around 10,000 I.U. of straight Vitamin A. You can safely double this dosage if you're not seeing any results, but remember, beta carotene is the non-toxic supplement. Straight Vitamin A can become very toxic so keep the daily intake low. Take Vitamin A with food.

“Just be advised that the above information posted is not medical advice and should only be used for fun and entertainment.”

i would shy away from the accutane.. especially now they are finding it causes so many intestinal issues (crohns for one)...

B5 for the win!

I've used B5 for a few months now, and used it before a few years ago... I have seen absolute changes and improvements, but, it hasn't been able completely cure complexion issues by any means - even after months @ 10g/day. I buy by the kilo. I believe aside from the liver and severe skin-drying effects of Accutane, it is a solid short term solution.

Where has it been documented that Accutane causes that condition, and at what dosage/duration?

I took accutane back in high school when I was 15. The stuff worked like a charm and I very rarely see a zit pop up anymore. However, it was miserable stuff in terms of what it did to my skin being dried out like crazy. That was worth it to get rid of the acne, though.

What I'll say, though, is that in the winter, my skin still gets really dried out and on occasion (not annually, but every other winter or so), my palms and the insides of my fingers will break out in these little bumps (look like little blackheads). It happened for the first time when I was on accutane. Of all things, what the doctor prescribed for it was the same stuff they use for genital warts or herpes -- I don't remember which, I just remember going to the pharmacy and picking it up and then reading that as one of the uses on the side and feeling incredibly embarrassed.

So, accutane works wonders, but sides are definitely a possibility as well.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."EvoMuse Rep | Inspire to EvolveAnabolicMindsRep

Midwest, true... I used Accutane once from one of my sources, and it was AMAZING, but I HAD to keep Chapstick with me at all times. The first week already had my skin feeling brittle, and I even started to get 'ashy' on my arms especially (white dry skin on my forearms). It worked though! I believe I did get a nosebleed or two.

Years later (maybe 6 years) down the road, I have a very slight issue every now and then with acne, but the breakouts are NO WHERE near what they were, ESPECIALLY if you consider I'm on cycle and sweating almost all day long from the cardio, training, clean and T3.

I have been doing 10g/day divided into 5g am and 5g pm of B5 powder in my protein shakes. I am looking for accutane again to have on hand after the cycle is over, THIS IS THE SINGLE WORST TIME FOR ME BY FAR (after cessation of the cycle/drugs).

I am going to use a mixture of ****'s Facial Cleanser, Cetephil Face Wash, and Blackhead Clearing Scrub

Are you stressed out? I took accutane about 3 times my acne was so bad. Even after my last cycle on it I still got bad acne, but not as bad as before. I moved out recently and noticed since I moved out my acne greatly diminished and it has noting to do with diet, I eat about 3 times as much meat as before. When I lived with my grandmother I was so stressed out everyday. Now since I live with my step dad my stress is a lot less.

I've used B5 for a few months now, and used it before a few years ago... I have seen absolute changes and improvements, but, it hasn't been able completely cure complexion issues by any means - even after months @ 10g/day. I buy by the kilo. I believe aside from the liver and severe skin-drying effects of Accutane, it is a solid short term solution.

Where has it been documented that Accutane causes that condition, and at what dosage/duration?

sorry dont have a source other than there are commercials on tv all the time for lawyers saying Accutane has been linked to Crohns and they will sue on your behalf...

I have just had a bad breakout recently that seemed to get worse no matter what i did. I started using a cream called Benzac AC. Its a cream that contains 10% benzoyl peroxide (this is the main ingrediant in proactive which only contains 1.5%) and cost $10. Ive been putting it on twice a day for three days and the achne is nearly gone! its cheap and effective.

Low dose accutane over extended periods (months) seems fairly safe and the way to go, if you keep your liver values protected and checked.

That 10% benzoyl peroxide is the only one I use. The thicker you apply it, the better. Even if it hardens a white crust overtop, it seems to work better that way. Any larger zits will immediately start to go down. If I'm at home working, etc, and I have some that are larger, I'll apply it very liberally and let it sit all day. I'll do the same at night and let it harder before I go to sleep, then wash it off in the morning. Works well.

Listen to Middleageguy above, Zinc is where it is at. Cleared me up, once I finally figured out what was doing it. I am afraid to go off of Zinc now so I just maintain a dosage of 15mg every other day or so. But I took 15 mg of Optizinc by Jarrow twice a day, which also includes copper so that your zinc:copper levels do not get thrown off. Optizinc is supposedly better absorbed and less likely to get blocked by other minerals than other forms of zinc. Zinc has an innate relationship with vitamin A, you can have good serum vitamin A levels supposedly; but, if you do not have enough zinc than you cannot properly utilize your vitamin A. Zinc also has other important mechanisms in terms of immunity and also digestive health.

Low dose accutane over extended periods (months) seems fairly safe and the way to go, if you keep your liver values protected and checked.

That 10% benzoyl peroxide is the only one I use. The thicker you apply it, the better. Even if it hardens a white crust overtop, it seems to work better that way. Any larger zits will immediately start to go down. If I'm at home working, etc, and I have some that are larger, I'll apply it very liberally and let it sit all day. I'll do the same at night and let it harder before I go to sleep, then wash it off in the morning. Works well.

Good advice... also, I believe water intake it overlooked in a lot of these scenarios where so many of us (myself included in various situations) look for an herb, drug, or steroid to work the magic for us. Medicine has it's place without a doubt, but keeping stress levels in check, attaining proper hydration, and getting out into the summer sun can work some great magic.

Also, Accutane is ridiculously hard to find online... I remember the good ole' days, haha.

I wish I could find it online. There's only once place I know of and I don't like them much or the price.

I go to my dermatologist, he prescribes a high dose and then I just low dose it. That way I have a lot extra to last me. Well that's what I did last time when I started TRT. I've only taken it twice in my life. It's a pain getting labs monthly that way though. I kept on liver supps and I was always midrange so all was good. I respond really well to accutane. My Dr was surprised back then, especially because of the amount I was taking. They normally dose by weight, and even his high dose was on the low end for my weight.

Good advice... also, I believe water intake it overlooked in a lot of these scenarios where so many of us (myself included in various situations) look for an herb, drug, or steroid to work the magic for us. Medicine has it's place without a doubt, but keeping stress levels in check, attaining proper hydration, and getting out into the summer sun can work some great magic.

Also, Accutane is ridiculously hard to find online... I remember the good ole' days, haha.

You know what, im going to try get some more sun and drink more water. Maybee thats my problem.

When u get some sun make sure you dont have any scabs or dry sin patches because you'll get some spotting. I'm currently dealing with some acne and am thinking about b5 supplementation with L-carnitine. I've read it used as a topical as well, any input on that?

Anyone in here ever get dermabrasion or some sort of treatment for old scars?

When I started TRT, I got some bad cystic stuff on my back, zapped it with accutane and it's never come back, but it's left it's mark, faded but there. I want to fully remove it. I figure it happens a lot in the steroid world. How effective is this procedure and typical cost? I won't use bleaching creams, it's summer and I want to tan.

btw, talking about just old red/dark pigmentation type marks, nothing raised or sunken.

Also, I was able to source bulk Accutane powder to make my own capsules/liquid for self medication. Minimum order from the lab was quite large, so, depending on shelf life, I'll be set for years.

Lastly, I will continue B5 treatment @ 10g/day, and also heard from a friend that Niacinimide works wonders when applied TOPICALLY to the site of breakouts across shoulders, chest, and even face. I don't know why B3 would be so efficacious against acne, but he swears by it and has experience using it recently to combat his cycle-induced body acne.

I wonder if B5 would work the same way when applied topically, perhaps with Phlogel which I believe is the most effective transdermal carrier on the market? I continue to wish and wish that **** would make their carrier available as a standalone!!